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Riding through the dirt in the crisp, dry air of Los Angeles, kicking up dust as you go.
Before work in the morning, or perhaps wrapping things up early before the sun sets, you pedal your way to a peak overlooking the urban sprawl. You can easily access Mt. Lee, famous for the Hollywood Sign, on a ride. You can enjoy some road riding, and there’s great dirt everywhere you look—plus trails if you’re willing to travel a little further. It’s a city filled with cyclists who live life to the fullest on two wheels, fueled by creative freedom.
Based in that very city is Team Dream Bicycling Team. The mastermind behind it, Sean Talkington (pictured right), used to work at the legendary LA shop ORANGE20 in his younger years. (I recall 10 years ago, LA cyclists would say that was the only decent bike shop around. It’s also worth noting that it’s a shop with deep ties to Euro-Asia, for those in the know.)
By the way, Sean is a former colleague of Kyle Kelly (pictured left), the owner of LA’s current premier shop, Golden Saddle Cyclery. Just remember that Sean is a huge cat lover (he’s always holding a cat when we FaceTime), and Kyle is a total party animal.
And it should come as no surprise that these two are also the culprits—and the masterminds—behind Ringtail.
Golden Saddle Cyclery, located in the Silver Lake district, recently hosted a SimWorks USA pop-up shop. We always learn so much from their product selection and the incredible bikes they build. It’s no exaggeration to call them one of LA’s leading bike shops, as they showcase SimWorks products so skillfully through their own unique perspective.
About 10km away from Golden Saddle Cyclery in the city of Pasadena is The Cub House, the headquarters and flagship store for Team Dream and Ringtail. While they naturally stock Team Dream and Ringtail goods, it’s also an intriguing shop because Sean curates items from around the world that he believes in, such as 7mesh, The Athletic, Swrve, and Strawfoot.
And if you check their Instagram, the account name is #itsnotabikeshop
Of course, no mention of Los Angeles would be complete without John Watson of The Radavist. To add to that, he lives right behind Golden Saddle, spending his days capturing cool bikes and people. In short, there’s such a strong bond between them that you’d think they were connected by a chain, just like their bikes. We find ourselves constantly inspired by them and the LA cycling community, but we still think Nagoya can definitely hold its own!
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To mark our 10th anniversary, we’ve created this "Dreamer Jersey"—the Land of the Rising Sun version of the #TeamDreamSunsetChasingTeam jersey, featuring a design that interprets Team Dream through our own corporate colors of red and green.
Produced by ENDO CUSTOMS in LA, who share a close bond with Sean, these high-quality garments promise an excellent fit and comfort. These jerseys are strictly limited in quantity, and since we’re already receiving inquiries not just from Japan but also from the US, we recommend acting fast!
Riding a bike broadens your world; at the same time, the fact that you can feel closer to the world across borders by connecting with various people is a point I personally find fascinating about cycling. Connecting with one person leads to another, and that is how Circles has slowly expanded its circle. We celebrated our 10th anniversary at the end of last year, and many friends lent us a great deal of cooperation for this memorable milestone.
【Circles Original】 10th Anniv Bandana ¥2,000 (excl. tax)
This piece was fully supervised by Mike O’Halloran, a multi-talented silk screen craftsman from Portland. He previously worked on design for Sycip, currently does design for Chris King, screen printing for PBS T-shirts, and handles various upcoming SimWorks projects. As his friendships with West Coast frame builders grew, he met us—fellow cyclists—and oversaw everything from the initial design to the silk screening.
Each bandana is hand-printed and then sewn by a studio in Portland called machineapparel.
Because these are things we use in our daily lives, we want to use items that we can imagine who made them, where, and how, so we can use them for a long time.
That sentiment applies not only to everyday goods but also to the bicycle—a vehicle that serves as a tool for enrichment and a "fun tool" as well. We want people to enjoy riding their bikes wisely, healthily, correctly, and above all, without waste.
We learned so much from Chris King in the US about the philosophy of making what we can ourselves when necessary, and completing the manufacturing process within our own immediate environment to achieve that goal.
They are a leading manufacturer at the cutting edge of bicycle parts production. With the premise of using high-quality items for as long as possible, they consistently maintain a clear vision in every field—from parts performance to collaborating on building the cycling community where their products are actually used, and even to environmental protection for their employees and society. While our 10-year history is still far from their 40-year journey, they created a special headset for our milestone anniversary.
People can draw others in with their passion. Circles was born out of the idea of creating a mysterious community that grows bigger and bigger, just like that—people connecting with people!
This has been a long post, but on behalf of the team, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and note here that we will continue to forge ahead.